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| The marker honoring three unknown British soldiers who fought and died from wounded received at the Battle of Cowpens on January 17, 1781. |
Near Limestone College in the town of Gaffney, in Cherokee County, South Carolina there is a marker by the recently restored Limestone Springs at Hamrick Park that honors the memories of three unknown British soldiers who had been mortally wounded at the Battle of Cowpens on Wednesday, January 17, 1780 and are buried on the site.
Over 300 British soldiers had been casualties during this decisive battle of the American Revolutionary War's Southern Campaign (1780-1782). 110 of these were killed during the battle, or died as a result of their wounds.
After being force-marched for days by their commander, Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton into the South Carolina backcountry in pursuit of a force of Continental army and Patriot militia led by Brigadier General Daniel Morgan, these men were wounded in the battle that took place early on a cold and frosty morning. After the battle these soldiers were among those brought to the cattle drivers rest stop called the Cowpens near Limestone Springs just off the old Cherokee Ford Road, where they bled to death and died far from home and their families in a strange and largely hostile country. Their names forgotten to history, and known but to God.
In May 2012, a marker designed by Limestone College trustee and Blakely Funeral Home director Ashby Blakely was unveiled by local historian Robert Ivey with the assistance of British Revolutionary War re-enactors during a special memorial service in memory of these foreign soldiers.
They were invaders, part of an army sent to keep America under the rule of the British Crown and crush American independence. They suffered the fate of the invader, no doubt about that.
Yet, in spite of this, they too deserve to be remembered for who they were and what they left behind, no different than any other soldier who served his country's military forces and died during the course of their duty. They deserve to be honored for the memory of their lives, and given the respect due to all men who fought in war.
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| Limestone Spring at Hamrick Park in Gaffney, South Carolina. The British soldiers' marker can be see in the left of the photo by the road. |
If y'all are ever in the area of Gaffney, South Carolina, please take the time to stop by and visit this marker and the historic springs.
Have a wonderful Dixie day, y'all!
2 comments:
Wondering if military historians have investigated battle rosters? Not sure how complete they are? In other words, might one be able to find 3 soldiers who participated, then dropped out of regiment by next battle?
Humm, that's a good question. It would be hard to say though.
At the Battle of Cowpens (Jan. 17, 1781) there were several British units involved:
The British Legion (cavalry and infantry), the 17th Light Dragoons, the 7th Regiment of Foot (Royal Fusiliers), a light company of the 16th Regiment of Foot, a company of the Prince of Wales American (Loyalist) Regiment, and the 71st Regiment of Foot (Fraser's Highlanders).
Most of these men were either captured after the battle (mostly the Highlanders and Light Regiments) or wounded in the battle. The ones buried on the side of the road would likely have been members of the British Legion that escaped with Tarleton when he retreated who died of wounds and were hastily buried. But that would only be guesswork. In his after battle reports, Tarleton made little mention of what happened on his retreat -- in fact he spent more time justifying his actions in the battle and blaming the loss on "being outnumbered" by Morgan's Patriots and Continentals.
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